Ayatollah Khamenei Endorses Rick Santorum

Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran has decided to endorse Rick Santorum for the US Republican presidential nomination. Speaking in a television interview to Iranian state owned Press TV, Khamenei says he was impressed with Santorum's dedication to his faith and opposition to homosexuality.

"I don't agree with Rick on every issue," the Ayatollah explained, "But he's right on the right to life. He's right on the place of women in the workplace. He's right on standing up to the homosexual agenda. The more I hear from him the more I like."

"We don't agree obviously on the biggest question. Rick believes that Christ is truth and I believe there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger. But on everything smaller than the question of who created the universe we seem to see eye to eye."

Asked by the interviewer if he would vote for Santorum if he were a US citizen, Khamenei replied "You know I think I would."

The endorsement is ironic because Santorum has been the Republican candidate most associated with a tough US policy against Iran and its quest to acquire nuclear weapons. Asked about this point Khamenei responded "Look I know Rick is against us getting the bomb, but who would I rather negotiate with? Mitt Romney? I can't trust that guy. He says he's against our nuclear program, but who knows? Maybe next year he'll offer us to help us build our reactors, then the following year take them away again. With Rick at least I know where I stand."

Santorum is badly trailing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and would need a miracle to at this point to receive the nomination.

Our interpid reporter caught up with the Santorum campaign today and asked him if he expected the endoresement to give him a boost heading into the critical strech of the campaign.